International Civil Aviation Day

Quick Facts

Learn about International Civil Aviation Day

Aviation is proof that given, the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.

Eddie Rickenbacker

In 1901 something was accomplished that hadn’t happened in the history of mankind, a man flew upon a glider and covered a respectable distance in a manmade device that was not held aloft by lighter-than-air gas. The skepticism that greeted this event was profound, with people all over the world saying the Wright Brothers were more liars than fliers, a claim that would be refuted by a demonstration of what would be the most important aeronautics event in the world. International Civil Aviation Day celebrates the science, art, and sport of aviation that grew out of this initial glide, and the men and women who push the frontiers of it today.

History of International Civil Aviation Day

Civil Aviation is incredibly important to the world we know and love today, and touches all of us in ways we can’t realize. When you order a package overnight from Amazon, odds are good that it’s being transported from their warehouse to your front door in the hold of a cargo plane. When you travel across the country or even around the world to join friends and relatives for vacation or holiday celebrations, you’re traveling on a craft that got its start in the minds of Orville & Wilbur Wright.

But air transport can be perilous, and the International Civil Aviation Organization focuses on the safety, efficiency, and regulations that surround the entire industry. ICAO organized International Civil Aviation Day in 1944 and began a campaign to have it become an officially recognized UN holiday, a campaign that would finally see it’s fruition in 1996. Civil Aviation includes everything from sports fliers to large commercial aircraft traversing the sky with the essentials of daily living.

How to celebrate International Civil Aviation Day

Celebrating International Civil Aviation Day can happen in a number of ways, from the simple joys of ordering a package the night before and opening it up the next day with the appreciation that it was carried in the belly of a great cargo plane, to booking a flight to an exotic location to celebrate the speed and efficiency with which we can cross the globe. Throughout the country, there are also museums dedicated to aviation, and there’s some great history to be learned by strolling those august halls. So get out there on International Civil Aviation Day and see what the plane has brought to your life!

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